Remember Colonel Wilma From Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? Here’s What Erin Gray Looks Like Now
If you grew up watching Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, you know exactly who Erin Gray is.
She played Colonel Wilma Deering — the smart, no-nonsense military officer who could go toe-to-toe with anyone in the 25th century.
Before the show, she was one of New York’s top fashion models. After it, she became one of the most recognized faces on TV.
For a whole generation of fans, Erin Gray was the definition of cool.
From Hawaii to the Runways of New York
Erin Gray was born on January 7, 1950, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Her family relocated to California when she was young, and she eventually graduated from Pacific Palisades High School.
She briefly studied mathematics at UCLA before a chance meeting with modeling agent Nina Blanchard changed everything.
At just 14 years old, Erin landed her first modeling job. By her early twenties, she had become one of America’s most in-demand models, earning as much as $100,000 a year.
She shared ad campaigns and magazine spreads with names like Farrah Fawcett. She appeared in commercials for Breck, Max Factor, Clairol, and RC Cola.
Her most memorable ad was for English Leather cologne. In it, she delivered the now-famous line: “My men wear English Leather — or they wear nothing at all.”
Landing the Role That Made Her a Star
In the late 1970s, Erin made the move from modeling to acting.
Universal Studios signed her to a seven-year contract after watching her early TV work.
Her first major role was in the 1978 miniseries Evening in Byzantium, where she played a tough newspaper reporter. Critics took notice.
That performance led directly to her being cast as Colonel Wilma Deering in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century in 1979.
How Colonel Wilma Deering Broke the Mold
Buck Rogers debuted as a theatrical film in 1979, then became a weekly NBC series that ran through 1981.
Erin’s character was a high-ranking military officer — a woman who gave orders, made decisions, and didn’t need rescuing. That was a big deal at the time.
As Erin later told Closer Weekly, she was proud to be a role model for young female viewers.
“I was the first female colonel,” she said. “A woman can be a colonel. A woman can be in charge.”
Her iconic white Spandex jumpsuit didn’t hurt her popularity either. She became one of the biggest TV symbols of the era.
The show ran for two seasons and built a devoted cult following that has never gone away.
Silver Spoons and Life After Buck Rogers
After Buck Rogers wrapped, Erin kept working steadily through the 1980s.
She landed the role of Kate Summers Stratton on Silver Spoons, the NBC sitcom starring Ricky Schroder.
The show ran from 1982 to 1987, and Erin’s warm, grounded performance won over a completely new audience.
She also made guest appearances on some of the biggest shows of the decade — Magnum P.I., The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Murder, She Wrote.
In 1993, she showed off a different side of her range with a role in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
She Never Really Stopped Acting
Through the 1990s and 2000s, Erin continued to take on roles in TV movies and indie films.
Her 2011 film Dreams Awake earned her a Best Actress award at the Monaco International Film Festival.
She also picked up a Best Actress honor at the 2020 Golden State Film Festival for The Music Teacher.
In 2018, she appeared on Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans, proving her appeal stretched across generations.
Her most recent film credit is the 2022 TV mystery It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder.
What Erin Gray Is Up to Now
Today, Erin Gray is 75 years old, and she has built a busy, full life far beyond Hollywood.
She is the founder of Heroes for Hire, a talent agency that specializes in booking sci-fi and fantasy stars for personal appearances, speaking engagements, and fan conventions.
The company grew out of a tough chapter in her life — a divorce and bankruptcy in the early 1990s — and became a thriving business that represents around 150 clients.
She is also a certified teacher of tai chi and chi kung, practices she credits with keeping her healthy and centered.
On top of that, Erin serves as a board member of the Innocent Lives Foundation, a nonprofit that works to identify anonymous online predators who target children.
She is a mother of two — a son from her first marriage and a daughter, Samantha, from her second marriage to cinematographer Richard Hissong.
What Does Erin Gray Look Like Today?
In late 2024, Erin was photographed in Los Angeles running errands, dressed casually in a black puffer jacket, trousers, a baseball cap, and dark sunglasses.
She looked relaxed, polished, and very much at ease in her own skin.
Her fans took notice, sharing the photos widely with plenty of warm comments about how great she looked.
At 75, Erin Gray carries herself with the same quiet confidence that made Colonel Wilma Deering so compelling back in 1979.
She was never just a pretty face in a jumpsuit. She was a trailblazer — and it looks like she still is.
Here’s What Other Famous Stars Look Like Now
Check out our other articles about the famous movie stars, TV stars and musicians from yesteryear that you know and love.
- Marcia from The Brady Bunch — Maureen McCormick
- Jan from The Brady Bunch — Eve Plumb
- Wonder Woman — Lynda Carter
- Mindy From Mork & Mindy — Pam Dawber
- Chachi from Happy Days — Scott Baio
- Alex from Flashdance — Jennifer Beals
- Linda from Fast Times at Ridgemont High — Phoebe Cates
- Fran Fine from The Nanny — Fran Drescher
- Denise Huxtable from The Cosby Show — Lisa Bonet
- Regan from The Exorcist — Linda Blair
- Remember the Little Boy From The Sixth Sense — Haley Joel Osment